Dandy Power Duos!
Here are my picks for the top 10 all-time power hitting duos:
9. JOHNNY BENCH AND GEORGE FOSTER: Johnny Bench is one of my all-time favorites. George Foster was also one of my favorites for a while in the 1970s. Foster was a lean, mean hitting machine as evidenced by his 1977 MVP year in which he hit .320 with 52 homers, 124 runs scored, and 149 RBI. Bench was simply the greatest catcher in baseball history - both at the plate and behind the dish. Together, Bench and Foster clouted 521 homers as a duo from 1971 to 1981 - Bench with 277 roundtrippers and Foster with 244. I loved watching both these men hit. While Foster was sinewy and lean, Bench was muscular and stout. They made quite a 1-2 punch for the Big Red Machine of the 1970s and I like them as one of my top 10 power duos.
8. MIKE SCHMIDT AND GREG LUZINSKI: I got to see both Schmidt and Luzinski hit when I was about 10 or 11 years old. The Phillies used to be the parent team of the Triple A Oklahoma City 89ers in the late 1970s. Back then, the major league club would play their AAA counterparts in an exhibition around mid-season every year. I watched both these guys at batting practice at All Sports Stadium on two occasions - and they certainly didn't disappoint anyone with their gargantuan blasts over the left field scoreboard. Schmidt was a three-time MVP while "The Bull" had one of the best nicknames in baseball history. Together, they hit 503 homers with Schmidt clouting 283 and Luzinski 220 between 1972 and 1980. Man, what a formidable duo!!
7. HARMON KILLEBREW AND BOB ALLISON: Killebrew and Allison were hard-nosed players like most of the guys were in the 1960s. Killer Killebrew was such a sight at the plate; every rip of his bat just sent shivers down opposing pitchers' spines. Allison, in addition to owning a potent bat, also was a smooth fielding third baseman. These two guys are two of my all-time favorites, too. I have a lot of them, by the way. But, really, you can't go wrong with Harmon and Bobby. Afterall, they hit 732 circuit clouts together for the Twins from 1958 to 1970 - Harmon with 476 and Bob with 256. What a tandem for the Twin Cities!!
6. MICKEY MANTLE AND YOGI BERRA: When you play for the New York Yankees, it's hard to be overlooked. Mantle and Berra were certainly not overlooked ballplayers. But, I never realized what a formidable 1-2 punch they formed for so many years with the Bronx Bombers. Mantle and Berra clouted 702 homers together for New York, with Mickey claiming 419 and Yogi 283 between the years of 1951 to 1963. No wonder they made Casey Stengel look like a genius for so long!
5. DUKE SNIDER AND GIL HODGES: Talk about a couple of classy baseball players!! Snider and Hodges were the epitome of cool in the 1950s and early 1960s. Together, they hit 745 homers with Snider slamming 384 and Hodges another 361. With a pair of sluggers like this, the Dodgers (in both Brooklyn and LA) certainly earned their niche as one of the top franchises in baseball history.
4. JOSE CANSECO AND MARK McGWIRE: Canseco and McGwire are probably the two strongest players the game of baseball has ever known. Man, when you say "Bash Brothers," these guys were it!! They can kill somebody with a line drive! McGwire in recent years has seen his career soar to unprecedented heights, thanks to his 70-homer campaign in 1998. Canseco, meanwhile, still struggles to avoid injury - but he still is a stud with the stick. He is an athlete for sure - the first 40-40 man in baseball history with 42 homers and 40 stolen bases for the Oakland A's in 1988. Together, the Bash Bros hit 451 homers from 1986 to 1992, with McGwire collecting 220 of the big taters while Canseco mustered a robust 231 dingers. I don't have them ranked No. 1 on this list, but they're my favorite duo, just by the looks of them!
3. HANK AARON AND EDDIE MATHEWS: Aaron and Mathews are the best homer duo (numbers wise) in major league history. Between 1954 to 1966, Aaron hit 442 homers while Mathews connected 421 times for a total of 863 - the best figure all-time for a pair of teammates. Consistent as they were, they never grabbed the national attention of, say, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey (the next guys on the list.) If they had played in New York, though, I think I'd have to rank them Numero Uno. Braves fans certainly never had a problem with their prowess at the plate!
2. WILLIE MAYS AND WILLIE McCOVEY: This pick will make my best friend Tom Levescy very proud. McCovey is Tom's favorite all-time player. Mays is a probably a close second or third behind Ted Williams. You see, Tom's dad grew to idolize the Giants when he lived near San Francisco back in the 1950s. Tom's dad Leonard operated a Texaco gas station in Berkeley, Calif., not far from Frisco. Tom's two older brothers grew up idolizing the Giants and it naturally came to be one of Tom's passions, too. McCovey slammed 370 homers while Mays clouted 430 during their years together from 1959 to 1971. Hope you approve of this pick, Tom!
1. BABE RUTH AND LOU GEHRIG: Ruth and Gehrig slammed 772 homers together between the years of 1925 and 1934. The Babe had 424 while Gehrig clouted 348 roundtrippers. This is a no-brainer pick. Although Ruth and Gehrig stand third to Aaron and Mathews (863) and Mays and McCovey (800) in terms of homers by all-time teammates, they certainly are the most reknowned for their girth and might at the plate. Hail to "The Sultan of Swat" and "The Iron Horse."
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